Maria Teresa De Filippis

Even the great Fangio thought she drove too fast

Interview by James EveSunday 5 March 2006Observer Sport Monthly

Born in Naples in 1926, Maria Teresa de Filippis started racing Fiat 500s at the age of 22. After she finished second in the 1954 Italian sports car championship, Maserati employed her as a works driver, racing their cars. In 1958 she became the first woman to compete in a Formula One world championship race, when she finished tenth in the Belgian Grand Prix. In all she entered seven grands prix, qualifying for three of the five of those that counted towards the title. She quit the sport in 1959 and started a family. In 1979, she joined the International Club of Former F1 Grand Prix Drivers. She has been the club's vice-president since 1997 and is president of the Maserati Club. She has two grandchildren and lives near Milan.

Is it true you started racing for a bet?

Yes. Two of my brothers bet the other that I couldn't drive fast. I trained on the Amalfi coast and won my first race - the Salerno-Cava dei Tirreni event - in a Fiat 500.

What did your parents think?

They were sceptical to begin with. I'd always been more interested in horses than cars, but they never raised too many objections because I won straight away. My mother used to tell me: 'Go slow and win.'

What was the attitude of male drivers towards you?

At first they thought I wouldn't be able to compete, but then I went all the way to Formula One. The only time I was prevented from racing was at the French Grand Prix. The race director said: 'The only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser's.' Apart from that I don't think I encountered any prejudice - only surprise at my success.

Did you have a hero?

At the time it was Juan Manuel Fangio; later, Ayrton Senna.

The Maserati you drove in 1958 was the same car Fangio used to win his fifth world title the previous year. Did he give you any advice?

Lots. He used to say: 'You go too fast, you take too many risks.' I wasn't frightened of speed, you see, and that's not always a good thing. He worried I might have an accident.

What do you remember about racing in your first championship grand prix, after trying but failing to qualify in Monaco?

It was fantastic - I didn't think about the result at all - but it wasn't a big step up. I'd been driving cars with progressively bigger and bigger engines and in those days the top drivers took part in other events - sports cars, hill climbing, endurance races - so right from the start I'd been competing against F1 drivers.

Did you earn much money?

I remember receiving £500 for taking part in the Daily Express Trophy at Silverstone in 1958, but apart from that I can't say I earned very much. My contract with Maserati split all costs and prize money fifty-fifty.

Why did you stop?

Because too many friends had died. There was a succession of deaths - Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, Alfonso de Portago, Mike Hawthorn. Then Jean Behra [whose team de Filippis had joined earlier in 1959] was killed in Berlin. That, for me, was the most tragic because it was in a race that I should have been taking part in.

Did you turn your back on the sport completely?

I didn't go to the circuits any more. The following year I got married, then my daughter was born and family life became more important. I had nothing to do with motor racing until 1979, when I joined the International Club. Today we've got about one hundred members, including Jack Brabham, Damon Hill, Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart. Now I get invitations to go to the races, but I tend to follow them on TV.

Can women compete with men?

Yes, though there will always be only very few of them. The physical strength needed is not a feminine characteristic. Those bullnecks, for instance - not a pretty sight.

Are you surprised more women haven't followed your example?

A bit. Maybe they just don't feel like it. Then, of course, there is the question of money. Many backers don't believe that a woman can compete on equal terms. It's a shame because I think there would be huge interest if a woman was given a chance in Formula One.

What do you think of F1 now?

I don't like today's races that much. Success is based more on electronics or the speed of the mechanics and less on the skill of the driver. In our day the drivers were friends. We travelled together, stayed in the same hotels. Today the drivers don't seem to go out together at all. The interviews are too often predictable. After a race they just jump back in their private planes. Very little remains of the sport as it was in our time.